One of the great pleasures of the television series “Downton Abbey,” is watching an aristocrat’s family enjoy elegant, seated dinners and casual, relaxed breakfasts, complete with staff who cook, serve and clear. You don’t have to be an earl to enjoy that kind of luxury. You can hire a private chef for a similar—and kosher—experience.
In 2017 just after Purim, Talya Spitzer of Englewood, New Jersey, decided that going away for Pesach as the family usually did was not practical as her son’s bar mitzvah was coming up in May. Even though she loves to cook, the thought of ten days of meal preparation for the family and guests was daunting. While researching her options online, Spitzer discovered kosherprivatechef.com, a company run by Sharon Beck. Beck, who is from New York but now lives in Miami, places vetted, private chefs in homes and coordinates the menus, shopping and delivery of ingredients in advance.
“I was lucky to get a chef,” Spitzer recalled. “There are only so many trained kosher chefs Sharon works with. She only uses people she is comfortable with, who know kosher kitchens—and Pesach kitchens—and what they can and can’t do.”
Spitzer and Beck collaborated on the menus. “There was a lot of back and forth, I’m very specific about what my family likes to eat,” Spitzer said. “She asked me, ‘what do you like, what don’t you like? Kugels? Fresh vegetables?’” Beck sent a sample menu for each meal and when finalized, devised the shopping list. “Sharon would have placed the order anywhere I wanted. I did a lot myself – it’s hard to let go of some control – and I let her handle some of the Pesadich orders.”
The chef was there for ten days and Spitzer loved it. “I was a guest in my own home,” she said, a feeling shared by everyone who has hired a private chef. Spitzer said the family got a big kick out of waking up in the morning and coming into the kitchen to greet the chef, who asked what he could prepare for them.
When you’re the captain of your kitchen, it can be disconcerting to have someone else take over. But Spitzer loved it. “He was personable and easy to work with. He knew how to make everything on the menu and when he didn’t, he googled or asked. I enjoyed watching him—I even learned some tricks from him.” Working together, they made some last minute revisions. “There were some days we looked at the menu and decided we didn’t need both sea bass and eggplant rollatini.” But nothing was wasted. Most of the food was fresh, not specific for Pesach, so it could be used after yontif.
Spitzer sings the praises of Pesach vacations away, but thinks having a private chef is great if you spend Pesach at home. “I got a lot of bang for my buck,” she said. “It was money well spent.”
Beck was one of the first Orthodox graduates from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Poughkeepsie, New York. She started her own company, Culinary Creations by Sharon, and word spread through her Flatbush, New York neighborhood. Beck also free-lanced for caterers and met her husband at a function. Together they grew their new business and relocated to Miami. They have teams in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Chicago, and send chefs, and supplies, all over the globe. They also ship pre-packaged food that can be heated up by a hotel or cruise ship staff. Beck has sent chefs to ski houses in Utah and villas in Monaco. “We are a full service concierge company, arranging worldwide villa rentals, yacht charters, full luxury travel and event itineraries and destination weddings,” said Beck. “We have opened the world of kosher travel and high end services. We will go anywhere; nothing is off limits.”
Chef Geisi Segura already had a following that grew when he became executive chef at Glatt Express, and developed their catering menu (https://www.glatt-express.com/catering/). “I always like to introduce new things,” said Segura. “I like to be innovative and create as I go. I don’t copy recipes; I put my own twist on them and move forward.” As far as new food trends, Segura said he’s getting many requests for stuffed meats, such as stuffed flanken or chicken. He recently cooked for a party of 400 people, and brought along four waiters, an assistant cook and three prep chefs to help with all the cutting and marinating.
When my husband and I decided to have an anniversary party last summer, we asked Segura to prepare a barbecue at our home for 25 people. We met, discussed options and came up with a menu. He brought all the food, including marinated meat, prepared salads and other items he cooked and assembled in my kitchen. He even brought a canopy to cover the grill and shield him from rain or hot sun. While Segura grilled, I enjoyed my guests and his cuisine. My family still talks about his tender, spiced to perfection skirt steak sliders with chimichurri sauce.
Elliott Bookman started hosting barbecues for friends as a hobby. With knowledge gained from working in his family’s business—Bookman’s Meats in Lakewood—and summers working for a caterer, he became the go-to guy for friends who wanted help with a grill. He turned the hobby into a business, Bookman’s Barbecue ([email protected]) and now does private barbecues for families and organizations in New York and New Jersey.
This year, Bookman is pairing up with an event designer who will set up lighting, tables, decor centerpieces, floral arrangements and all elements that go into the visual appeal of a party. “I want to broaden my range so I can give people who want flair more than a casual backyard barbecue,” he said. Bookman said people are asking for finger foods that don’t require a knife and fork such as pepper crusted sliders and beef, chicken and veggie kabobs. He is also getting requests for charcuterie boards. He makes his own beef jerky and adds London Broil, salami and pepperoni for a “nice assortment” of meat. Bookman barbecues all year with his busy season starting after Shavuot. “Once school is over, the season really begins,” he said.
Jonny Miller, son of Sarah Lee Kessler and Robert Miller of Englewood, began cooking when he was 10 years old, making salad dressings for his family’s Shabbat meals. He had a close relationship with family friend Eddie Iszo of Main Event Catering, and as a teenager started working for him during summer breaks. “It fostered a passion in me, to see what goes on in a big commissary,” he said. “Seeing the chefs doing their thing on a grand scale was really alluring to me.”
After a two-year stint in the Israeli navy, Miller attended the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts in Brooklyn, and continued working with Main Event Catering. He went to Florida, where he gained experience working for another caterer, who saw his potential and put him in charge of hors d’oeuvres. Miller returned with the dream of opening his own catering company and started cooking for clients as Kosher Chef Jonny (https://www.facebook.com/KosherChefJonny/), working out of his parents’ kitchen and cooking in clients’ homes. Last month he became the executive chef at Sizzle & Smoke catering, in addition to his private work.
When Kosher Chef Jonny isn’t completely preparing in a client’s home, he still finishes there, heating, prepping, plating and serving. “I like to offer an experience, food you wouldn’t be able to find at takeout places—classically cooked, with real fresh ingredients, start to finish,” Miller said. He cooks all styles of food, including sheva brachot meals and drop off Shabbat and Yom Tov dishes, but loves new challenges. “I just did an Indian birthday party; it’s exciting when someone does something adventurous.” When cooking for family parties, he builds in activities for kids, like cupcake baking. “I bring a pastry bag and teach them how to swirl,” he explained.
Shelley Cohen of Teaneck, New Jersey, first met Miller when she wanted an alternative for her annual New Year’s Eve get-together with two other couples at a restaurant. “We were schlepping to Brooklyn and then we tried going to Monsey. We made reservations but still waited an hour,” she said. Her son-in-law suggested they stay home and contact Miller, who he knew through a family connection. “We hit it off right away,” said Cohen. “He was personable and easy to work with. It was great—and cheaper than going out.” The best part was total relaxation and no hassle. “We’re sipping drinks, the fire is going, our shoes are off, and Jonny’s serving dinner. You can’t beat that.”
By� Bracha� Schwartz
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